Welcome to Elmhurst College Abroad! Our goal is to create a site where students and members of the EC community abroad and our community at home can share their international experiences and questions.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Emily J. - Semester at Sea - Fall 2013

Only a little over a month has gone by and I am already
on country number eight. To say I'm overwhelmed is an understatement. I am
overwhelmed by the diversity in culture I've experienced, the different
histories I've learned to appreciate and the growing up I've done in one month.
Seriously, learning about so many different cultures first hand has been the
coolest experience. I've seen things I've only read about, tasted things I
didn't even know how to pronounce and have so many stories of my own that I can
say helped me grow as a person. I can't wait for the rest to continue!

One thing I didn't expect, I get sea sick! :( it really
is terrible I won't lie to you, but the days you get to get off the ship to a
place you've never been, a map in hand and a few vague phrases of the local
language in mind, you lose yourself in the best way. If you go with the flow on
semester at sea, you will absolutely love this trip.

So far my favorite places have been Germany, Belgium and
Ireland. I wish I had more time in Portugal because I think it would have
easily become one of my favorites. I like to think of semester at sea as trying
out different countries to see which ones I'm going to come back to in the
future.

Two quotes for you (I'm big on quotes) -

"Don't always look at your feet or you may never
know where they will take you"

"I go to seek a Great Perhaps"

A few things I've learned so far: get lost - it's fun :),
most strangers are friendly and will help you, you just have to ask, Be
respectful of people's cultures.

4 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Emily!

It sounds like you are really getting the hang of immersing yourself into all these different countries! How did you overcome your culture shock and how to you go about thriving in all these different cultures?

Hello from CPP250Kirstie WaughI am absolutely jealous of you! I am going to study abroad in Germany, but plan to travel one day. If it wasn't for the fact I want to learn the German language better, I would definitely do the study at sea. How could you ever stand only visiting a place for awhile.

Elyse, so thriving in each culture is easier when we have Cultural Preport and Logistical Preport on the Ship. We learn all about the culture and even have speakers from the culture come in and talk to us about dos and don'ts. If you plan out the things you want to do and see and are prepared for your plans to go askew, then you'll be just fine. It's all about being flexible. That's when you have the greatest experience with the people of the culture. Overcoming culture shock is interesting. You just have to keep cultural relativism in mind and that you're seeing a snapshot of their everyday lives. If you think about it in an anthropological way, it becomes a lot easier. Thanks! Morocco was crazy!

Kristie, Germany was AWESOME! I like visiting all the different countries. I don't get to immerse myself completely but I get a taste of each place and I like that a lot. You really get a taste when you get to stay in the country in hostels and get to meet the locals. Make sure you go to Alster Lake and bike around it, it is so beautiful!